Over the years, I have spent many untold hours trawling the internet, emailing suppliers, and reading up on the environmental credentials of the multitude of 'eco' toilet paper manufacturers, desperately trying to find the perfect supplier. We get asked about it a lot, so I thought it might be helpful if I shared with you the sort of things we consider when choosing poop tickets, both for the home, and for the shop!
There are actually quite a number of considerations where toilet roll is concerned. We look at the material the paper itself is made from (and the carbon footprint or ecological impact of that), the packaging and it's own impact, the use of any dyes or bleach, and the transportation. Then we look at the company behind the paper and their own ethics and policies, and of course we have to consider the quality of the end product and whether it is actually any good!
Now we can take a look at how our suppliers fared, and how that compares to others out there...
Ecoleaf 2 ply Recycled Toilet Paper
🏆 BEST FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT A HOUSE FULL OF LOO ROLL!
✅ 240 sheets per roll. 4 pack = £2.95 (30.7p per 100 sheet)
✅ Soft toilet tissue made from 100% recycled paper
✅ Free from inks, dyes, bleach, or chemical residues
✅ Made in the UK ✅ Packaged in recycled and recyclable paper packs of 4 (no individual wrapping)
✅ Ecoleaf is owned by Suma, who are a workers co-operative
Boxroll 2 ply Recycled Toilet Paper
🏆 BEST VALUE UK BRAND & LOWEST CARBON FOOTPRINT
✅ 400 sheets per roll. 24 pack = £19.95 (20.8p per 100 sheet)
✅ Soft toilet tissue made from 100% UK sourced recycled paper
✅ Free from inks, dyes, bleach, or chemical residues
✅ Made in the UK ✅ Packaged in cardboard (no individual wrapping)
➕ Boxroll are a small independent business based in Market Harborough
Who Gives a Crap 3 ply Recycled Toilet Paper
🏆 BEST FOR QUALITY & CHARITABLE CAUSES
✅ 400 sheets per roll. 48 pack = £40.00 (20.8p per 100 sheet)
✅ Soft toilet tissue made from 100% recycled paper
✅ Free from inks, dyes, bleach, or chemical residues
✅ Who Gives a Crap are a certified B corp who donate 50% of their profits to water projects around the world
❌ Made in China ❌ Individually wrapped rolls inside a cardboard outer
And for comparison...
Cushelle Tubeless Toilet Rolls
🏆 BEST FOR EXPENSIVE GREENWASHING?
✅ 360 sheets per roll. 12 pack = £13.50 (Sainsburys 22.09.22) (31.3p per 100 sheet)
❌ Made from 100% virgin pulp
➕ Sadly I couldn't find any information on whether they use dyes and bleach (which usually means they do, but I can't be 100% sure until I get a response)
✅ Made in the UK
✅ No paper tubes
❌ Wrapped in plastic
It would be remiss of me not to mention other options. Yes there are totally paper free options when it comes to cleaning your bottom!
Firstly there is good old 'family cloth'! To many folks, this will seem an absurd and disgusting thought, (yet the same people will quite happily think nothing of using reusable wipes for babies) but there is a growing number of people switching back to these. Basically it's a collection of reusable and washable cloths, usually used alongside a wet bag and thrown into the laundry after use. This is easily the lowest waste option of them all so definitely not to be discounted.
Second comes the bum gun! Those of you who have been fortunate enough to travel across parts of South East and Central Asia, may well be all too familiar with these! There is a growing contingent of folks out there who are having them installed at home. Essentially these are a type of water pistol that get plumbing in to the mains water next to the toilet, and with a bit of practise, and a steady aim, you can clean yourself up much more thoroughly than you ever can with a bit of dry paper. Of course there is a water footprint for this, but once installed, there is no washing of cloths or buying of toilet rolls (except maybe some for guests who might not be quite so wild as your good self!), so they save you a small fortune over time!
If you think this all sounds a bit odd, consider that for 70% of the world's population, water is used to wash bums. So in fact, I guess we are the weird ones for using paper, and the more you think about it, the more you'll realise that we are definitely using the least hygienic option on that front! (sorry but it's true)
So there we have it. Now you have all the info you need to save the world one number two at a time! Haha!